The Ballad of Forrest Griffin
There he ran. Racing down which must of seemed like an infinite stretch of concrete up the entrance ramp with his training staff steadily by his side. Flashbulbs rapidly bursting, video cameras linked worldwide capturing every second, and a stunned sold out crowd in the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia trying to grasp and internally decode what they had just witnessed. Former Light Heavyweight champion and savior of the UFC in the eyes of many Forrest Griffin, was just picked apart with little to no effort by middleweight king Anderson Silva. The result were not as startling as the fashion that it occurred, a lazy paw strike by a backpedaling Silva knocking out Griffin within the average time of a top 40 pop song. The co-main event of UFC 101 was expected to be a hard fought battle that finally gave the undefeated Silva the competition he sorely lacked in the middleweight division. Instead the battering was so demoralizing that Griffin ignored the tradition of the losing fighter waiting for the decision and made his way out the downtown Philly area. Rumors that Griffin had suffered a broken jaw that led to his early exit were quickly refuted by reports, and painted the incident to many as an act of cowardice. The bout managed to change the perceptions of the two men within the sport. Silva further established himself as the greatest fighter currently breathing while Griffin’s poor performance raised questions as to whether he deserves to be viewed as top tier fighter, or if he were was one in the first place.
Griffin became a fan favorite during the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, where he won a landmark decision over Stephan Bonnar for the show’s grand prize of a UFC contract. The fight helped the UFC make massive strides in professional sports, proving to critics that MMA was less mindless brutality and more a human chess match with strategy and tact integral to success. His persona is that of a humble everyman who at times can be too self deprecating. When Griffin enters the Octagon, he brings along the wonderment and intensity that makes it seem that it can be you surrounded by the 8 sides. Griffin won his first and only championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 86, but failed to successfully defend the title against fellow TUF alum Rashad Evans at UFC 92.The Ohio native remained one of the more popular fighters in the company, but his way of handling the aftermath of the Silva fight made it nearly impossible for even the most devout of Griffin fans to defend. ”People want to know what happened with the Anderson Silva fight and I can’t tell you. It’s pretty bad.” Said Griffin in a recent interview with BSN Video.”What I can tell you right now,today, this is the most motivated I’ve ever been.” Griffin’s shot a redemption will come at UFC 106 in a rematch against another man with a shaky career history, Tito Ortiz. Ortiz has not competed professionally since May of 2008, and is lately more notable for marrying a woman whose most intimate moments can be viewed with a decent broadband connection. Griffin lost the first fight against Ortiz due to a split decision, but should have a sizable advantage because of Ortiz’s extended hiatus. We live in a culture where winning allows people to forgive and forget past indiscretions. Athletes like Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez have had their far worse offenses overlooked in the public because of their recent championship success. A string of victories starting at 106 can lead Griffin back on the path as the UFC’s favorite son.
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UFC 114 will have a good deal of fits, but none at the magnitude of the bout among Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans. This is 1 of the most anticipated complement-ups, which will last but not least carry site this month.